Stop the greatest common factor madness! Yes we need to learn that skill, but for struggling students it's hard to apply to simplifying fractions. Let's help them build number sense and fluency along the way. This Doodle Notebook will do just that!

In it you will receive 12 pages sized just right to add to a composition sized interactive notebook, or a mini three-ring binder like I use. You can also print and staple as a stand alone mini-book!

The first section covers rules our students likely already know, even if they don't realize it. That is the Divisibility Rules for 2, 5, and 10. Then we apply that skill to simplifying some pretty basic fractions (hopefully you can extend the lesson for many of your students after covering this portion!) It ends with a "Check Your Skills" page. I like to use these as exit tickets or take home practice. I like to see what my students remember when I'm not there!

The second section cover what I call the "Cool Rules," 3, 6, and 9. We then connect to fractions and Check their Skills again.

The final section reviews the rules all together, then looks at some interesting situations where more than one rule apply, and how to decide which rule to use. This will lead great into that discussion about GCFs and why we use them when we can!

This era of mathematics teaching stresses providing our students with multiple strategies. Divisibility rules lend themselves to this cause and deepen our students concept of how numbers work together, making the process of simplifying fractions finally click!